If you have visited here before, you can probably see that I have changed the name of the blog again. I started blogging at 4URuthie to tell the story of our journey to adopt our 1st daughter. I changed it to Mountains for Maggie when we were praying for God to move mountains on behalf of our 2nd daughter. Well now it is no longer just Ruthie’s or Maggie’s stories. It is now our family's story, and the stories of those we share life with, as we Conquer Mountains together. Both ConqueringMountains.net and 4URuthie.blogspot will lead here.

About Me

I am a pastor's wife, mother of 4 kids (2 adopted and 3 with special needs), physical therapist, and photography junky. This is where it all comes together for me. Feel free to join along as I process life out loud.

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

The Rodeo and The Church

There
are a lot of blog posts that I read and think, “Thanks for numbering the
obvious.” I am confident that I have even been guilty of
posting a few. Today I came across something different. A
friend shared this (These
are the Things I Don't Want My Kids to Learn at Church) on Facebook
and it was good. Insightful. It was so insightful that I
thought, “This woman has seen too much. She must be a pastor’s
wife.” I was right, she is.

After reading it, I thought of a #11-

Jesus is not defined
by your experiences.

Jesus is not loud music and
flashing lights that made you feel good at a youth event. He is not defined by
your infant baptism or the card you filled out during an altar call. He
is not whether you spoke in tongues at a charismatic event or saw 50 kids come
to Christ at VBS. Jesus is not defined by your personal spiritual
experience.

I was thinking about this and had
an illustration come to mind that I hope will be as meaningful to you as the
above blog link was to me.

Here you go:

The Church today looks a lot like the Houston Rodeo (or whatever
rodeo you visit. Mine just happens to be Houston). For
the sake of continuity, I will # it for you.

The Entrance - We all walk in the first time with a sense
of excitement or trepidation at what lies ahead. We are ready to
take it in and create our own story of what the rodeo is by what we personally
experience there.

The Food - Some people define the rodeo (church) by
what they consume. The Houston Rodeo is known for excellent barbecue
but also delicacies like Fried Twinkies. There are a lot of people
who go to the rodeo to sample the “food” and define their experience by how
well “fed” they are.

The Rides - There are some crazy rides at the
Houston rodeo. I am personally not a fan of being suspended in the
air and losing my stomach on a piece of metal and bolts that was put together
in a day but that is not part of my illustration. What I am trying
to illustrate is that some people define church by the highs. They
pass from ride to ride and high to high. If you ask them about their
time, this is how they will define a successful visit.

The Convention Center - At the Houston Rodeo, we
have a large indoor area that is pretty safe. You can casually walk
around without being exposed to the elements, high rides, or delicacies that
might push you beyond your comfort. You can stay in there for
hours and see a safer presentation of the animals and even have a few
experiences but nothing too dangerous like what is taking place outside.

The Stadium - This is where the action happens. Faithful
Houston Rodeo goers (like churchgoers), you know the kind who holds season
tickets and volunteer their time to its success, will say that you haven’t
truly experienced the rodeo unless you have entered the NRG Stadium. The
NRG is where the “real rodeo” takes place. It is where kids race on
the backs of sheep, where teenagers wrestle cows, and where real cowboys are
thrown off of bucking bulls.

*Here’s the meat (in case you are
scrolling) - Those who make it into the Stadium are a step ahead of
those who just consume delicacies, move from high to high, or play it
safe. However, even they have not fully experienced the rodeo. No,
they buy a ticket, sit in their seats, watch the action, consume their food, and
cheer or heckle from the safety of their row. They see the
action firsthand, but even they are not true rodeo participants.

Those
who truly experience the rodeo are the few who

dare to enter the Arena.

My friend Bernie and I are reading
Rising Strong by Brene’ Brown. In her books, Brene' talks about the
courage and vulnerability that it takes to step into the Arena, get your ass
kicked, and then do it again. She even says, “If you’re not in the
Arena also getting your ass kicked, I’m not interested in your
feedback.” Now those of you who are more concerned that I said
“ass” twice than about what I am trying to illustrate are probably seat
holders. My friends who are serving orphans in Bolivia are probably
giving me an air fist bump and saying “hell yeah” about now.

I have watched bull riders
get thrown off, stepped on, and kicked in the ribs then stand up and throw
their hands up in victory. I have seen Christians do the
same. They limp off stage for a night, mend their wounds, and
come back ready enter the Arena again.

I think of Katie Davis (Kisses
from Katie) serving in Uganda. I think of fellow adoption moms
who have lost heart babies and then gone back to adopt another. I
think of pastors who are beat down by congregations who just want to eat fried
twinkies but go back to work on Monday committed to make a difference.
I think of my friend who sold everything so she could serve in
Brazil. I think of the persecuted church in the Middle East. I
think of my friend who dedicated her life to
set up tent clinics for those who don’t have access to healthcare around the world. I
think of the wife who hits her knees every night and prays for her husband who
does not know Christ while listening to him daily criticize her faith. I
think of my friends who have experienced two heart-wrenching failed adoptions but
are back at it because they feel called to care for orphans. THEY are in
the Arena.

While it is part of their
rodeo experience, the Jesus of those who enter the Arena is not defined by
highs or delicacies and He is certainly not safe. Walking with Him
occasionally comes with an ass-kicking and yet somehow it is the kind of ass-kicking that makes you stand up, throw your hands in the air, and want to go
back in. That is the power of fully experiencing the Church.

To go back to the beginning of my post,
that is what I want my kids to learn at Church: I want them to
learn how survive and succeed in the Arena.

Brene' Brown has one more quote worth mentioning and closing with here:

“When we spend our lives waiting until we’re
perfect or bulletproof before we walk into the arena, we ultimately sacrifice
relationships and opportunities that may not be recoverable, we squander our
precious time, and we turn our backs on our gifts, those unique contributions
that only we can make.” –Brene
Brown

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About Me

I am a pastor's wife, mother of 4 kids (2 adopted and 3 with special needs), physical therapist, and photography junky. This is where it all comes together for me. Feel free to join along as I process life out loud.